Over their decades long history together, Wolverine and Kitty Pryde have maintained one of the strongest bonds in the X-Men. For the longest time, Logan was Kitty's mentor, guiding the young mutant in her journey. Eventually, however, Kitty grew up, and circumstances transformed her from Wolverine's apprentice to his bodyguard.
Kitty Pryde was the first in a long line of young mutants mentored by the venerable X-Man. However, these two weren't exactly best friends from the start, given Wolverine's prickly demeanor. It was the 1984 mini-series, Kitty Pryde and Wolverine (by Chris Claremont, Al Milgrom, Gynis Wein, Tom Orzechowski and Joe Rosen) that was largely responsible for bringing the two X-Men closer together.
In this series, Wolverine and Kitty fought side by side against the ninja master, Ogun, as he tried to brainwash Kitty into becoming his own personal assassin. Since then, the two mutants have shared a close familial bond. Moreover, Logan has mentored numerous other young mutants, such as Jubilee, Armor and Kid Omega. After mentoring all of these young mutants, Wolverine's strongest connection has still been with Kitty.
This teacher/student dynamic was flipped on its head in 2014's Death of Wolverine (by Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, Jay Leisten, Justin Ponsor and Chris Eliopoulos). At this point, Logan had lost his healing factor. To make matters worse, a bounty was placed on his head. This placed Wolverine in direct confrontation with some of his worst enemies, and he was seriously injured as a result.
In Madripoor, it seemed that Lady Deathstrike had Wolverine right where she wanted him until the timely arrival of Kitty Pryde. After a brief skirmish, Kitty phased through Deathstrike, before solidifying and brutally destroying her hand.
Afterwards, Kitty continued to help her mentor, delivering him regen serum to treat his many injuries. Arriving in the nick of time, Kitty demonstrated her devotion to Wolverine, as well as her growth as a hero.
It is very impressive that Kitty was able to defeat Lady Deathstrike, who is a longtime adversary of Wolverine's, and has proven to be at least his equal in combat. Considering her fighting skills, healing factor and razor-sharp nails, she is a very formidable opponent.
Not only was Kitty Logan's protector here, but she also stood fearlessly against Lady Deathstrike, which is no small feat. It should also be noted that Wolverine's old foe, Ogun, had possessed Kitty's body at the time, so she wasn't exactly herself.
This at least partially explains Kitty's brutality with Lady Deathstrike. Even so, Kitty was found and taken by Ogun in Japan, while she was out looking for Logan. Just because Kitty was possessed doesn't mean she wasn't wholly committed to protecting her friend. Even later, when Logan fought a possessed Kitty, he noted that Ogun had to fight two people at once, himself and his longtime friend, who was actively working against the possession.
This showed a great level of strength, which Logan instilled in Kitty. This internal conflict is important to note, considering Kitty's earlier confrontation with Lady Deathstrike. If Pryde did not want to fight Deathstrike, she probably would have hesitated somehow. Since Kitty didn't seem to resist, she was probably just as devoted to protecting Logan as she would have been under normal circumstances. In her fight against Wolverine, however, Kitty hesitated and fought his influence, which led to Ogun's downfall.
Even under Ogun's influence, Kitty was wholly devoted to protecting Logan, showing how much she'd grown. Moreover, the tables had turned at this point, demonstrating how Kitty was now looking out for Wolverine. With Logan's help, she broke free of Ogun's influence, illustrating her mental strength alongside her physical capabilities. At Wolverine's worst point, Kitty Pryde was there to protect her friend and mentor.
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